After a couple of close calls earlier in 2020, former #1-ranked PocketFiver Patrick ‘pleno1’ Leonard has clinched the PocketFives Monthly PLB award for the month of May.

With every major online poker site offering a full slate of premium high-stakes events, Leonard could be found in the lobby of nearly every major tournament, living up to his reputation as one of the game’s most dedicated grinders.

Although Leonard’s monthly stat sheet is usually replete with impressive scores, this May was exceptional. The partypoker ambassador managed to book a career-high online score last month with his runner-up finish in the World Series of Poker Super Circuit Online $10M Gtd High Roller. The $25,000 buy-in event saw its prize pool swell to over $12.3 million, becoming one of the largest tournaments in online poker history. Leonard’s second-place finish earned him $1,611.342 and a massive 2,320.66 PLB points. The result jettisoned him right past the $10 million mark in lifetime earnings, up to over $11.4 million and into the top 20 on the All-Time Online Money List.

His heater certainly didn’t end with his seven-figure score as Leonard also spent tons of time grinding the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker. He picked up his first 2020 SCOOP title on May 12 in Event #53-H ($2,100 PLO8, 6-Max) banking $52,606 and 483.74 PLB points. He booked a second 2020 SCOOP win two weeks later in Event #93-H ($215+R NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo) by outlasting the 460 runners to take home the $41,809 first-place prize and another 482.54 PLB points.

The exceptional month is just what Leonard needed to lock up the top spot in May. He finished fourth in the PLB chase in February and second in March. This is his first Monthly PLB victory since October 2014.

It was going to take a gigantic month for Leonard to top the incredible May performance of Connor ‘blanconegro’ Drinan. Drinan, a PocketFiver since 2007, went on a heater during the PokerStars SCOOP that saw him win an unprecedented five SCOOP titles in a single series, all within two weeks.

His run started on May 7 when he won Event #34-H ($530 PLO8, 8-Max) for $34,421. Two days later, he took the title in Event #40-H ($5,200 PLO, 6-Max) for another $152,011. The very next day he was victorious again in Event #45-M ($215 NLO8, 6-Max, PKO) for $28,348.

That streak alone had heads turning, but Drinan wasn’t done. He conquered Event #56-H ($1,050 H.O.R.S.E) for $30,233 and finished off his historic heater with his biggest victory of the series, a win in Event #75-H ($10,300 PLO Main Event) for $322,264.

His 23 PLB-qualifying cashes have the Chicago native currently sitting as the #1-ranked player in Canada.

May was also a big month for the UK’s Conor ‘1_conor_b_1’ Beresford. Although he didn’t win the Monthly PLB award, as he did in April, it was the month that he became the #1-ranked online poker player in the world for the very first time.

On the back of a pair of SCOOP victories, Beresford touched the top spot in the rankings for the first time on May 16 and has held the position for the past three weeks. He grabbed a SCOOP title on May 3 in Event 18-M ($215 NLHE, 8-Max, Turbo, PKO) for over $38,579. He did it again in Event #32-H ($530 NLHE) for $85,959 and a monthly-high PLB score of 732.12.

He finished up May with his largest score of the month by finishing third in SCOOP Event #121-H ($1,050 NLHE, 8-Max, PKO) for over $91K.

Alex ‘Dynoalot’ Difelice finished May in fourth place after racking up 1,276.54 PLB points for his third-place finish in the 2020 SCOOP Event #74-H ($10,300 Main Event) for $567,776.

The deep run in the Main Event was a career-high score for Difelice who finished the month with 24 PLB-qualifying cashes, helping him to his current ranking of #62 in the world.

Former #1-ranked PocketFiver, Steven ‘SvZff’ van Zadelhoff rounded out the top five for May. Zadelhoff put in a maximum grind, registering over 200 results and playing buy-ins at every level including picking up victories in the $250 buy-in and $100-buy-in Daily Special on Natural8.

His spotlight score in SCOOP Event #48-H ($530 NLHE) where he had a final table finish for over $51,000.

PocketFives May Monthly PLB